September 2005 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 5

Video Accelerator: GeForce 7800 GT 256-MB PCI Express

Current Cost: $359
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

This past month, NVIDIA released a high-end, but lower-cost edition of their impressive GeForce 7800 GTX video card. The GeForce 7800 GT retains all the same features as the more expensive 7800 GTX, but comes clocked slightly lower and with some of the pipelines disabled. With core and memory speeds of 400MHz and 500MHz (1GHz effective) respectively, this card is clocked only slightly lower than its big brother is with a 430MHz core clock and memory clocked at 600MHz (1.2GHz). The GeForce 7800 GT has only 20 pixel pipelines and 7 vertex pipelines compared to the 7800GTX's 24 and 8, but still outpaces anything else in its class.

NVIDIA's GeForce 7800 GT 256-MB offers the best bang for the buck as far as high-end PCI Express video cards are concerned. The GeForce 7 Series is not quite the same leap in features and performance that the GeForce 6 Series was over the FX line, but there are more than enough features and performance packed into this card that it easily outpaces everything else in its price range. The GeForce 7800 GT has support for SLI, CineFX 4.0, Intellisample 4.0, MPEG-2 and WMV hardware acceleration, Ultra Shadow II, and is PCI Express only. Priced at $359, the GeForce 7800 GT is also an incredible value, especially considering its performance when compared with dual GeForce 6800 GT cards.

Just like the AMD and Intel system configurations, some buyers just feel more comfortable going with NVIDIA or ATI for their video card purchase. For those of you who prefer ATI, the Radeon X850 XT is an excellent choice at this price level. The Radeon X850 XT is ATI's second highest performing card as of now (behind the Radeon X850 XT PE), but is still capable of providing acceptable frame rates in all of today's games. While the X850XT cannot quite compete against the NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT, ATI's solid quality and performance make it worth a look nonetheless. Over the next month or two ATI will be releasing cards based around their long awaited R520 chip, so it may be worth it to wait for that if you're in no rush for a new ATI alternative.

Monitor: ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD

Cost: $310
Months on list: 5
Price Change: -$10

Over this past year, we have moved to LCD monitors for both the High-end and Extreme Buyer's Guides. LCD technology is improving at an incredible rate, and not only do prices continue to fall, but response times and color reproduction have become almost a non-issue. Our current favorite midrange gamer's LCD is the ViewSonic VP171B-2 17" LCD. Priced at under $350, this 17" monitor supports a native resolution of 1280x1024, and has high-end specifications like an 8ms response time, 500:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and support for both analog and DVI input. The VP171B-2 is one of the best 17" LCD monitors on the market, and the 8ms response time guarantees that there will be zero ghosting in games or fast motion video.

For those of you who feel that 17" may not be enough, it's tough to beat the BenQ FP91G+ for a value priced 19" LCD monitor. The FP91G+ is the successor to the popular FP937s and is not only priced equivalent to the ViewSonic, but also has an 8ms response time and dual analog/DVI inputs. If you want a fast 19" gaming LCD without breaking the bank, this is an excellent choice.

For those buyers who loathe LCD screens, we continue to recommend the NEC/Mitsubishi DP930SB-BK 19" CRT monitor as an alternative. This monitor features a 0.24mm grille pitch, totally flat aperture grille CRT, 1920 x 1440 at 73 Hz maximum resolution, and three-year warranty. This model can be purchased online for around $300, or slightly less than our main LCD recommendation. Keep in mind that CRT monitors are becoming increasingly difficult to find online, and can go out of stock at any time.

Please keep in mind that when buying any type or brand of monitor, there is always the chance of receiving a defective unit, so be certain to purchase only from a vendor that offers liberal return and replacement options, especially in their "dead pixel replacement policy" for new LCDs.

Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic

Cost: $115
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Creative's long-awaited X-Fi line of soundcards finally hit shelves this past month, and represents the first real update to Creative's product line since the original EMU10K1 audio processor on the SB Live. There are four different variants, but we chose to include Creative's entry-level card, the X-Fi XtremeMusic edition. The XtremeMusic features an improved 109dB signal-to-noise ratio, 7.1 channel surround sound, DTS ES and Dolby Digital decoding, 24-bit, 192 kHz audio support, EAX 5.0 support, as well as the new 24-bit Crystalizer engine, which up samples and enhances all sound to 24-bit. Also, the X-Fi utilizes three "modes" that can be switched on the fly, and a gaming, audio creation, and entertainment mode can be selected to better accommodate specific needs. Priced at $115, the X-Fi XtremeMusic accommodates all of our audio requirements while remaining within budget.

For those of you who have a little extra money to spend take a look at the X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS. This card has all of the same features as the X-Fi XtremeMusic, but adds on a front connector port as well as 64MB of built-in memory. This extra memory can come in handy as a buffer for sounds and effects, and ultimately increase game performance when utilized. However, the $299 price tag makes this sound card a luxury we cannot afford, especially considering there are only a handful of games that currently support the Fatal1ty FPS's extra RAM.

Speakers:

With a high-end gaming soundcard, a good set of surround sound speakers is a great way to immerse yourself in games, movies and music. Choosing the right speakers is an important investment, as they will likely stay with you as long as your case or monitor.

System Speakers: Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 Speakers

Cost: $130
Months on list: 3
Price Change: +$2

The Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 speakers are an excellent value for under $150, and there is no reason to change this month. Logitech produces some of the best gaming speakers around, and you would be hard pressed to find a better set for $130 or less. The Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 speakers simply offer a better price-performance ratio than any other midrange set we have ever tried. Delivering a total of 280 watts RMS power, these speakers redefine the meaning of "bang for your buck," and offer considerably better sounding output than other similarly priced sets.